


all the faces (pobody's nerfect)

by ringzzzz



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: (not too slow), Cece is giving them a hard time, Domestic Fluff, Jim and Pam are struggling, Multi, Parenthood, Polyamory, crying baby, pre-existing relationship, slow-burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ringzzzz/pseuds/ringzzzz
Summary: It all starts with Cece. She's crying, crying, crying. They can't sleep, she can't sleep, and they're all going crazy. Pam's desperate enough to call Dwight. Dwight helps with Cece - and then, he helps with other things.Or how Pam, Jim and Dwight find themselves becoming friends, close friends... and more.
Relationships: Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert/Dwight Schrute
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28





	all the faces (pobody's nerfect)

**Author's Note:**

> hiya!   
> This fiction is going to be at least 5 chapters long (probably more?) and will be about the romantic relationship between Jim, Pam and Dwight, and how they navigate it. It will also be about how they go through this new dynamic mixed with parenthood.
> 
> the first three chapters will highlight some of their biggest flaws (pam's insecurities, dwight's fears and jim's doubts) and how they slowly overcome them thanks to their relationship. 
> 
> i hope you'll like it! (also, not english. please let me know if you spot a mistake)

It was all Dwight’s fault. Some might say it was petty to blame him, but they didn’t care.

Dwight had used his secret magic to make Cece sleep – and now, it seemed worse than ever. A week had passed after that event and Jim and Pam couldn’t get more than three full hours of sleep a day. At first, it wasn’t unusual or hard to deal with; but she kept crying no matter what they tried to do. Believe it or not, it was hard to stay awake to calm your baby down when it was already the fifth time on the same night.

It had started to impact their work life. Both of them couldn’t help but be exhausted; no matter how important of a day it might be, their eyes always felt incredibly heavy. And, suddenly, even a wooden desk looked comfortable enough for a quick nap in-between phone calls – nobody would know or notice…

Except Dwight did. If he did wonder if pulling a prank on Jim at that time was a good idea, he abstained from doing it. Jim looked like pure death; his hair hadn’t been brushed. If that wasn’t a bad sign, he didn’t know what was.

“Pam,” He said, for what felt like the hundredth time that day. “Pam, wake up. Hell, what is wrong with both of you?”

Pam’s eyes slowly opened, not really focusing on his face. Sleeping with her eyes open seemed like a new skill she had acquired. “Sorry… Cece’s been crying a lot lately…” Her exhaustion was so obvious it made her voice shake a bit. 

“Again? Do you need me?” Dwight’s face was so serious it forced her to chuckle and shake her head, downplaying it. Pride was getting in the way; she was Cece’s mother. She had given birth to her. It was her daughter; she could take care of her!

Once again shaking her head as if it was not a possibility, she threw a look at Jim, whose face was half-hidden between his arms. He was soundly sleeping. “No, no, it’s fine. We don’t need your help. We totally can do it.”

Dwight frowned visibly but didn’t ask more, leaving Pam to wonder if she had imagined the hurt crossing his eyes. 

Turned out, no matter how proud Pam could be, it wasn’t fine. When they finally came home, they were both close to collapsing from exhaustion. They had barely managed to catch an hour of sleep during the day and were running on too much caffeine just to get home safe.

They went to bed at 8 pm, not even looking at the time. Once showered, fed, and relaxed, it only took a few minutes for them both to fall asleep. And it only took Cece half an hour to start crying again.   
They were so used to it there was no talking now. The first one who stood up was the one who would take care of Cece. They also stopped wishing she’d stop by herself; she never did.   
Jim, feeling a bit bad about sleeping more during the day, ended up near Cece’s crib.

“Hey, baby.” He picked his girl up, slowly rocking her while walking into the kitchen. “Are you hungry, little monster?”

He knew it wouldn’t work; she had eaten pretty well, was perfectly clean… They had made sure of everything before going to sleep, hoping to at least get an hour or two of sleep before her first cries. 

As expected, Cece rejected the bottle Jim gave her, kept crying loudly in his arms, and angrily clutching his finger. Ten minutes later, he felt desperate enough to start singing lowly to her, hoping that some sort of scientific fact behind low voices might help. Something about the reverb and the vibrations. It didn’t really work but it didn’t fail either. She was still crying but was quieter.  
He couldn’t help but feel thankful to know that, at this volume, Pam could go back to sleep. Or at least sleep peacefully, which she couldn’t do with Cece screaming at the top of her lungs. 

Hoping that the singing part would be enough to calm her down completely, he went to sit down on their couch, eyes slowly closing while humming the first song he could think about. He was pretty sure it was a Beatles’ song. He was too tired to even know. Still rocking her softly, he kissed her forehead.

It was only when she started crying again that he realized he had fallen asleep on the couch, holding her in his arms, right against his chest. He felt too confused to react right away.

“Hey. Go to sleep, I’ll take her.” 

Opening up his eyes, he saw Pam standing up in front of them. She was wearing one of his old tee-shirts and some sweatpants that were too big for her. Her face was pale and the bags under her eyes more visible than ever, but she was softly smiling to him.   
Seeing her like that felt almost divine. A wave of pure, raw love hit him hard.

“Come on, Jim. You look like death.” She almost chuckled, moving to take the crying Cece from his arms. “Go get some sleep.”

“I love you.” He stood up, his legs a bit wobbly, and softly kissed her. “You’re the best wife ever.”

Pam smiled again at him, but Dwight’s offer was still clear in her mind. With that came her hurt ego – but Jim was so exhausted, she just couldn’t show him that. Rocking Cece as best as she could, she pushed Jim toward their bedroom, trying to ignore how tired she was. “Go to sleep, old man.”

“I can help, I got some sleep.” He offered, looking worried about the look on her face. 

Pam’s hand weakened a bit on his back. Was she that much of a bad mother? Could he see it? Was that why he was insisting? “It’s fine, I got this. I’ve slept a lot anyway. Your turn, yeah?”

Jim hesitated for a few more seconds, reluctant to give up if Pam felt bad. But the look in her eyes switched to a more determined one; that’s when he understood it was between her and Cece.   
Kissing her on the forehead and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he smiled at her sweetly. “Okay, Beesly. I know you’re good with her. It won’t take long. Join me when she’s asleep, yeah?”

Pam nodded with a shaky smile, happy to see Jim’s back. The tears in her eyes threatened to spill any time now. Instead, she chose to pace around their living room, talking to Cece in a low voice to make sure Jim wouldn’t be kept awake by her talking.   
Except no matter what she tried, Cece wouldn’t stop. She wasn’t as loud as she had been at the beginning of the night, the poor angel probably exhausted by now, but her cries were still rocking her small body. 

She gave her food and water, made sure she was clean, checked if she didn’t have any small injury, even gave her a little massage. She talked, sang, danced, counted, made noises… The tears were still there. Her round face was red and tear-stained.

Maybe she wasn’t as good as she thought. Maybe she really couldn’t do it alone. It didn’t mean she was a bad mother, right? She heard so many parents talk about how their grown-ups once were crying, babbling messes. If they did it, Pam could totally do it too.   
Couldn’t she?

The clock on their kitchen wall told her it was past midnight. Thankfully, they could catch some sleep the next day as it was the weekend. But it was past midnight. Jim had gotten her to sleep for a bit. Pam? Pam couldn’t.

She tried not to cry while pushing open their bedroom door, only to stop when she saw Jim. Her husband was hugging her pillow close, the blanket barely covering his legs. For the first time in a while, he looked peaceful. His face was smooth, no crease, no frown, no tired eyes. Waking him up would be a crime. She just couldn't bring herself to do it.   
That’s when the tears started to spill from her eyes, quick to roll down her cheeks and stop on Cece’s pajamas. Her eyes followed the pattern her tears were creating, and it made her cry harder.  
She couldn’t do it. She sucked as a wife, she sucked as a mother, and she sucked as an adult. Things weren’t going well at all and she was so, so exhausted of everything. The responsibilities were just too much. She was overwhelmed, anxious, sad, and exhausted.

Pam stepped back, closed the door, and faced it for a good minute, silently crying, her tears mixing with Cece’s. Her body was aching. She didn’t even know why. Everything hurt so much.

Lost in her feelings, she didn’t notice she was moving until she was half-lying down on her sofa, her phone clutched in the palm of her hand. Before she could think much more about it, she punched his number in and stuck the phone against her ear, taking a shaky breath. She didn’t even bother to wipe her tears away.

“Dwight Schrute.” He answered after two rings only, voice a bit rough but not like Jim’s on mornings.

The words refused to leave her lips. She cleared her throat, took a shaky breath. “Hey, Dwight.”

“Pam?” He sounded confused, as if he hadn’t bothered to check who was calling. Knowing him, he probably did – maybe he was just surprised it actually wasn’t a mistake. “Is there something wrong?”

“Er…” Could she really say it? Biting her lip, she looked down at Cece, who seemed calm enough for Dwight not to hear her but still not calm enough to sleep. “I don’t know. Did I wake you up?”

“No.” She heard shuffling on his end. He sighed. “Pam, it’s almost one. You have to sleep.”

This was enough to open up the gates; she cried silently for a few seconds. “Yeah.” Her voice broke softly. “I’m sorry, Dwight.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” He answered, matter-of-factly. She could imagine him replacing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “What is wrong, Pam?”

“Do you think I’m a bad person?” Like a storm, the words left her in a breath, as if they had been waiting for years to escape. “Do you think I’m a bad friend? A bad wife? A bad mother?”

Dwight was uncharacteristically quiet, not answering her right away. During these few seconds, Pam considered hanging up. Never talking about this ever again. Burying it deep somewhere and forgetting everything about it. “Pam.” His voice was serious, as it often was. She couldn’t hear the shadow of a smile or a smirk in his tone. “You are the best friend I ever had.”

“I don’t know, Dwight, I… I screw up all the time. I can’t do anything.” She didn’t hide the sob that escaped her, which caused Cece to sob too. “I’m really trying to be optimistic and to be happy and to do my best but –”

Once again, there was a pregnant pause. Cece’s clear eyes looked right at her, and she could feel her shaking between her fingers. “You’re the only one able to make Jim that happy. That tiny monster is only there because of you and has survived thanks to you and Jim. You’re far from being a bad person.” Shuffling again, accompanied by footsteps. “I’m here in ten minutes.”

“Wait, Dwight, it’s –”

He hung up before she could even argue back.  
Part of her felt guilty, sad, and beaten. By calling him, she felt like agreeing with her biggest fears. At the same time, the pure relief washing over her felt worth it. Jim was finally getting some sleep. Cece crying all the time and not getting a lot of sleep probably was hard on her too, it couldn’t be healthy, right?

She must have spaced out thinking about it because the next thing she knew, there was a small knock on the door. Pam threw a look behind her, scared it would wake Jim up; but the door stayed close.  
She awkwardly tried to calm Cece a bit before opening up the front door.

Dwight was wearing casual clothes, grey Schrute Farms sweater on with some dark pants. 

“You look awful.” He stated, inviting himself in and taking his shoes off. Throwing a look around, his eyes stopped on their bedroom door. “Is Jim asleep?”

“Yeah. Got up before. I didn’t feel like waking him up again.” She whispered, looking down at Cece.

Surprisingly, Dwight’s footsteps were quiet when he came closer, as if he, also, didn't want to wake up Jim. Maybe Dwight wasn't as cruel as many used to think. She believed in his kindness, even though it was hidden behind many things. “Let me take her.”

Exhausted, she couldn’t even try to ignore his order. Dwight, Jim, and Pam knew each other for such a long time; and even if Dwight was a stubborn, power-attracted, wild man, they both trusted him with their lives. Maybe Jim was a bit more careful with that. But Pam didn’t feel scared when she handed Cece to him. 

“Hey there. Remember me, tiny tiger?” He rocked her just like Pam did, talked to her just like Pam did, sat down with her just like Pam did. “Come sit down too, Pam.”

Her feet moved of their own, and she found herself sitting on the couch. It felt like the couch should have the imprint of her body by now – she had spent so many nights there these last couple of weeks it was almost unbelievable. 

“She keeps crying. Nothing… I tried everything, Dwight. I’m so tired.” Banishing pride and shame when it came to her daughter had worked before, but they came right back when she felt tears starting to pile up. She couldn’t cry right now. “It’s just so much. I’m not good enough to do this.”

“No, no, Pam…” His eyes left Cece to carefully analyze her face. Old Dwight would have never reacted as nicely as he did. “You’re doing so good. I told you, I’ve been raising children since I was a baby. I spent my life raising babies. It’s your first baby. It takes time for both of you to get used to each other.”

Strangely, his words felt like the sun was finally warming up her freezing body. Hiccupping, she allowed herself to feel and accept everything that was happening. How crazy work had been these days, how much pressure she was under, how little sleep she had gotten… It was normal to break down every now and then. 

Cece wasn’t completely quiet yet, mostly because Dwight’s attention was on Pam. “Give yourself time, Pam.” He simply said, but she could hear hundreds of words behind that. Dwight was a simple man of few words. He never talked for too long, never smiled too broadly, but they didn’t need him to. 

Quietly, she tucked her legs under herself and hugged her torso, head resting against the back of the couch, eyes stuck on her baby. She had worked so hard to get there. It had taken so long for Jim and her to get together; they went through hardships, sadness, and heartbreak. She had challenged her insecurities and her fear of change to get to every next level, and it hadn’t been easy.  
But she felt so glad and so grateful. For everyone she worked with, everyone she was involved with, everyone that helped her grow.

“Country roads, take me home…” Dwight started to hum in a very low voice, barely a whisper. “To the place I belong…”

She closed her eyes, bathing in the sense of relief. It hurt, just like a newborn’s first breath, but it felt liberating. Freeing. Maybe she didn’t suck as much as she thought.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was still on the couch, but there was a blanket on her. She was alone; the room was dark, but she could see thanks to some kids’ light they had decided to put near the kitchen’s door. To find their paths when Cece was hungry during the night.   
It took her a minute to realize that Cece wasn’t crying. She couldn’t remember the last time she had woken up by herself and not because Cece wasn’t doing good. 

She soon realized why; Dwight came back from the kitchen with Cece in his arms. She looked happy, eyes already closed, and face relaxed. When he spotted Pam’s open eyes, he went to put Cece in her crib and moved next to her on the couch. “Hey, Pam. You should get some sleep.”

“I…” Biting her lip to keep herself from agreeing, she looked at him. “It’s not fair to you. I’m so sorry you had to come that late and… waste your night for us…”

“I don’t mind. I like Cece. She’s a warrior.” He looked behind him to make sure she was asleep. Turning back to Pam, he raised the blanket to cover her shoulders. “It’s fine. Sleep.”

She found herself nodding like a child, big, sad eyes following Dwight. “You should sleep, too. Cece looks like she’s gonna be out for a few hours at least. There are extra blankets in Cece’s room.”

“I will, don’t worry.” He pressed her shoulder reassuringly. “Sweet dreams, Pam.” 

He got up – probably to get some blankets – but Pam caught his wrist. “Hey, Dwight. Thank you.”

He didn’t answer but she could still see the outline of a smile on his face.  
It was enough to make her feel at peace and go back to sleep. She trusted him; he wouldn’t do anything bad or dangerous with Cece around. Sleeping was another story; she still hoped he would listen to her, as crazy as this situation seemed. She refused to think much more about it. Yes, Dwight was at their house, watching over Cece with his magical hands while Jim and Pam got some sleep. 

Daylight was what had woken her for good. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her face, could hear the birds singing outside. In other words, it felt like a peaceful, quiet morning – and she couldn’t help but bathe in that feeling. It had been so long. 

The door behind her was pushed open quietly and closed as silently. The footsteps around the couch where she still was were very obviously Jim’s. They came to a stop next to her and, half-awake, she wondered if he was going to kiss her. Unfortunately for her, he didn’t and went into the kitchen. 

“Hey Dwight.” He let out in a raspy voice she knew all too well.

Cece was happily babbling in answer. Pam felt like crying. After months of struggle, she couldn’t believe the perfect morning she was experiencing.

“Wait, wha…t?”

It hit her at the same time as it hit Jim. She was quick on her feet, ignoring the slight discomfort from standing up too quickly. 

“Dwight?” When she came into the kitchen, Jim’s eyes hadn’t yet completely widened. “Why are you – and Cece is…”

Dwight was standing in front of their coffee machine while holding Cece with one arm, who was playing with her soft falcon plushie. He was wearing Jim’s apron: blue with some stains they never went away, no matter what product Pam used on it. “Good morning,” he answered, very matter-of-factly, as always. “Here you go.” He pushed two cups of coffee their way next to a plate full of buttered toasts and scrambled eggs. 

“Dwight, did you…” Pam cleared her throat, instinctively going for the cup of coffee from which she took a big gulp. “I’m sorry, you should have…”

“Wait, can someone please explain to me what he’s doing at our house making us breakfast with Cece?” Jim stopped her, throwing her a look that clearly meant it was too early for him to handle that kind of drama.

Pam looked down into her coffee, wondering how she could explain it. “Well, I’m sorry, I…” 

“Pam called me during the night to request my help with Cece.” The baby grabbed his fingers when he moved to grab something into one of their cupboards. “Yes, you, little tiger.” His voice even softened – even though they both knew, they still got surprised over how good he was with her, and how nice he was. “This little monster didn’t let her get some sleep, so I came and took care of it myself.”

“You called Dwight? In the middle of the night? To take care of Cece?” The look on his face would have made her laugh if she wasn’t so embarrassed.

She was quick to move next to him, her free hand rising between them to calm him down before any big freak out. “Jim, I had to, she just didn’t want to sleep, and you were finally having a good night and I – I couldn’t make her sleep and you know he’s good with her I had to…”

“So, you called Dwight?” Astonishment was a weak word to describe the way he looked. His name left his mouth with such surprise it was as if Dwight would have been the last name that should have come to her mind. 

“She did the right thing. That baby wasn’t close to going quiet by herself.” Dwight explained, leaning back against the counter while sipping his coffee. “I told you, she likes me.” He shrugged and handed Pam her baby back. “Believe me, you both needed a good night. Your work was awfully bad yesterday.”

“There’s no way I –”

“Thank you, Dwight.” Pam cut Jim short, rocking Cece by habit. No matter what Jim thought, and how wrong she might have been, she was grateful. “You didn’t have to come but you still did… I’m sorry.”

“I told you, it’s fine.” He took another sip, not moving. Jim looked like he had walked into a room full of aliens and was trying to understand a language he didn't know. 

“Look, I appreciate it, buddy, but this can’t be –”

This time, Pam was the one needing to calm down. She had spent the worst week of her life, she was drowning in insecurities and yeah, Jim was amazing, and she loved him very much, but if she had called Dwight, it wasn’t for nothing! Why couldn’t he see that? Couldn't he trust her?   
“Yes, it can! Hey, I know you didn’t want me to do this, and I didn’t either, but we both deserved to get some sleep, and no matter what you think Dwight is good! He got less sleep than we did, he dumped his night for Cece, and he made her sleep, Jim! I was going crazy, and I wake you up all the time, I just wanted to be able to do it by myself, but I couldn't!”

Jim opened his mouth to answer but the look on Pam’s face was enough to make him go quiet. He turned around, taking a big breath, his hands coming up to rub his face. Maybe it was a bad dream, and he would wake up to Cece's cries in the middle of the night.  
Or maybe Pam was, indeed, having a hard time and he shouldn’t blame her for this. After all, Cece had been quiet all morning. And he didn’t have to wake up during the night. Maybe Dwight really was good with her.

“Okay, you know what?” He walked away from the counter, his cup of coffee growing cold without him noticing it. “Look, it was really nice of you to help us out.” 

“Finally seeing it, Halpert?”

Pam elbowed Dwight’s side with a threatening glare. At this moment, both Jim and Dwight thought that she looked just like a mother; that glare was such a motherly, warningly glare. It just proved how great she was to their eyes – but it was too soon for her to realize it. Still, it was unbelievable to hear her doubting herself. Jim and Dwight were as mature as Cece was, and she had been handling both of them for years.

“Anyway, as thanks, would you like to go out for dinner with us tomorrow?” The words painfully left his lips. He didn’t want to owe anything to Dwight. Repaying him as soon as possible was the best idea.

“Oh my god!” Pam exclaimed, quickly to put a free hand on her mouth when Cece moved against her, frowning slightly. “Oh my god, yes, that’s a great idea! We can take you out for dinner.” Seeing Dwight’s hesitation, she pressed his forearm. “Come on, let us take you out. Tomorrow. As thanks."

Dwight stayed quiet; the inside debate he was having internally was clearly visible externally. “I accept. I will be here at 8 to pick you up, so you both better be ready. We are going to Cugino’s.”

Jim and Pam looked at each other, frowning. “But, Dwight, we should make the cho..”

“No buts. 8 pm, and, please, Pam, no cardigans. They don’t look good. Same for your yellow shirt, Jim. Yellow doesn’t suit you that much, not your best.” He straightened the front of his shirt, getting rid of the few wrinkles there. “I will see you tomorrow, then. Remember, Jim, hum to her. Pam, trust yourself more. Goodbye.” Just like that, he nodded and left, ignoring their stunned faces or the fact that he left without saying much more or being escorted to the door.

As surprised as they were, Cece was the one recovering the quickest. She opened her bright eyes to look at them silently, grabbing Pam’s finger. The woman ignored that action, taking her eyes off her to watch her husband, her eyes pleading for him to understand her. “She wouldn’t sleep. You looked so peaceful, Jim, I couldn’t wake you up. I had no other choice...”

Jim moved to kiss her forehead, sliding an arm around her back. “It’s fine, don’t worry.” He drops a few other kisses on her face. “I get it, I guess. Seeing him first thing in the morning isn’t great, though. Might wanna tell me beforehand, yeah?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” She ducked her head in the crook of his neck, not able to fight the smile off her face. “It felt good waking up to a nice, fresh breakfast, and you two in the kitchen.” She let out a small laugh when he made a disgusted face, quickly moving away from him with Cece – who let out a happy sound, too.

“Come on, Beesly, I was serious!” Jim calls out behind her, their coffee long forgotten on the counter. In two easy strides, he was once again by their side. His hand stopped on Pam’s side, his fingers pressing a bit but not enough to make her laugh out loud. “Hey, Pam? You’re the best mom ever, you know? Dwight even said it.”

“He didn’t exactly –”

“Yes, he did.” Kissing her softly, he hoped his love would be enough for her to feel better. “I swear, you’re really great. I love you.”

It was hard to stay down when the sun was warming up her toes, when Dwight had been so nice, when Jim was so gentle. It was hard to not believe him when Cece was playing with her hair and laughing.  
Maybe she wasn’t that bad a mother. Maybe.

**Author's Note:**

> once again, hi!
> 
> I've fallen hard into the office fandom and i can't get them out of my head! I've been writing a lot about them and just had this great idea.  
> I hope you'll stay around to read more. I feel like the trio would work really well together; I feel like they would all balance each other.  
> Chapter two will have a bit more talk with the three of them, and maybe even a bit of fluff!
> 
> Anyway, don't hesitate to leave a review, a kudo, everything you want! I hope you liked it and I hope you'll like the next chapter (hopefully it'll come soon, maybe in a week?).  
> Have a great day, thank you for reading!


End file.
